Writing Paragraphs

Lecture 16

Recap• What is Paragraph?• Examples of Paragraph writing• What is Essay?• What makes a good essay?• What is Précis?• Technical Writing:

– Email– Letter– Memorandum– Resume/CV– Email

• Dos and Don'ts• Formal Writing Rules

Warm-Up

• One partner closes his/her eyes.• The other partner chooses an object.• Describe the object to the other person

WITHOUT mentioning the name of the object.• The person with eyes closed can only say, “I

need more details!” until they can guess what the object is.

Paragraphs

• What is a paragraph?• A paragraph is a group of sentences that

develops an idea.• The first sentence of a paragraph should be

indented.• The sentences in the paragraph support and

give examples of the main idea.

Paragraphs: A Bad Example

I live in a house in west Provo. I like the view from our house. We have lived there since November. We also have a car that I like very much. We were in an accident a few months ago. We hit a deer that was crossing the street at night. I felt sorry for the deer, but it cost a lot of money to repair the car.

Paragraphs: A Good Example

My husband and I bought our first house last November, and we love it. It is located in west Provo near Utah Lake. Although we cannot see the lake from our house, we do have a beautiful view of Mount Timpanogos. Our house has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a family room, and a large kitchen and dining area. We also have a large backyard and a small garden. We are very happy to own our own home, and I hope that we will live there for several years.

HOW TO WRITE A WELL ORGANIZED PARAGRAPH?

The Writing Process

• The Writing Process is a method that helps you get started writing and helps you organize your ideas.

THINKING

• Before you begin to write you need to think about what you are going to write.

• Then you need to organize your ideas. • When you have organized your ideas, you

write your first draft. • After that, you revise and improve your

writing. • Finally, you edit your first draft and write the

final draft.

The Three Steps in the Writing Process

• Pre-writing: Think of ideas– Planning: Organize your ideas

• Drafting: Write the first draft• Revising and Editing: Improve your writing

Pre-writing

• Before you begin to write, you need to think of ideas to write about.

FOUR WAYS TO ORGANIZE

• Sometimes it is difficult to think of things to write about. There are four common ways to help you think of new ideas:

FOUR WAYS

1. Brainstorming 2. Clustering 3. Making Lists/ outlining 4. Asking Yourself Questions

EXAMPLE

• Here is an example of what an office worker wrote when he brainstormed about the topic Daily Routine:

BRAINSTORMING

CLUSTERING

• Clustering is similar to brainstorming. • You try to think of many words and phrases.• When you make a cluster map, you write the

words and phrases in groups.

EXAMPLE

Write the topic in the centre of your page, inside a circle.

Write general ideas about the topic around the circle.

. Write more ideas about each general idea

Continue until you can think of no more ideas.

Making Lists

• Making lists is a way to think of new ideas. • When you make a list, try to think of ideas in

an organized way. – For example, you can make a list of actions, a list

of places, a list of people.

EXAMPLE

• Here is an example of three lists about daily routine:

Actions

• Wake up• Get up• Shower• Get dressed• Eat breakfast• Brush teeth• Take the bus• Buy coffee

Places

• Bedroom• Bathroom• Kitchen• Bus stop• Coffee shop• Office building

People

• Bus driver• Waitress• Co-worker• Boss• Customer• Friend

Asking Yourself Questions

• Asking yourself questions is another way to think of new ideas. When you answer the questions, you think of ideas.

????

• Here is an example of some questions about daily routine :

QUESTIONS:

• When do I get up?What do I do in the morning?When do I go to work?What do I do at work?When do I have lunch?Where do I have lunch?When do I go home from work?How do I get home from work?What do I do after work?What do I do in the evening?When do I go to bed?

Paragraph Structure

• A paragraph should have a logical structure that is easy to put into an outline:

I. Topic SentenceII. Supporting DetailIII. Supporting DetailIV. Supporting Detail

V. Concluding Sentence

Practicing with Paragraphs

• Find one of your warm-up writings in your notebook.

• Choose one idea from your writing and create an outline for a well-structured paragraph using this idea.

• Write the paragraph.

Topic Sentences

• A topic sentence is the sentence that tells the reader the main idea of the paragraph.

• The topic sentence should contain only one main idea. It should be specific and detailed.

• The topic sentence is often found at the beginning of the paragraph, but it can be in other places, too.

Topic Sentences: Good Examples• When I was a child, I lived in a house that had

a strange atmosphere.• There is a canyon in Northern Arizona that is

the most beautiful place on Earth.• My favorite item of clothing is a comfortable,

worn pair of jeans that I have had for many years.

Topic Sentences: Bad Examples

• I went to the Grand Canyon this winter and to Mexico in the spring of 1994.

• My friend is nice.• I like my bedroom.

Practice with Topic Sentences

• Write a topic sentence for each of the following topics:

A) your favorite possessionB) an interesting person you knowC) a beautiful place

Writing a Five Sentence Paragraph

Begin with a topic sentence:

• State what the paragraph is about, the topic.• Make it interesting.• Be sure to indent!!!!!!

Example:

Last summer my family went on an amazing picnic in a park.

is the topic of this paragraph.Picnic

Write three detail sentences.

• Each sentence should tell about the topic.• Use good describing words and interesting

action words.

Example:

Last summer my family went on an amazing picnic in a park. We brought freshly made ham sandwiches, apple pie and ice cold lemonade. While we enjoyed our picnic lunch under a tree, a small gray squirrel crawled close to us. Suddenly this squirrel grabbed my delicious piece of pie off my plate and scurried off.

Ending sentence:

• Restate the topic of the paragraph.• Keep it interesting.• Make it a closing sentence so your reader

knows this is the end of the paragraph.

Example:

Last summer my family went on an amazing picnic in a park. We brought freshly made ham sandwiches, apple pie and ice cold lemonade. While we enjoyed our picnic lunch under a tree, a small gray squirrel crawled close to us. Suddenly this small squirrel grabbed my delicious piece of pie off my plate and scurried off. We couldn’t believe this hungry squirrel had invited himself to our family picnic!

Let’s Review:

• Write an interesting topic sentence that is indented.

• Write three detail sentences that are about the topic.

• Write a closing sentence that restates the topic.

Now you are ready to write an incredible five sentence paragraph!

What is a Paragraph?

• A paragraph is a group of sentences that tells about one subject or area.

• Each sentence in a paragraph must give information about the topic

Reasons to Write a Paragraph

• Describe something• Tell a story• Explain something• To Persuade

Parts of a Paragraph• Topic sentence: States the main idea of the paragraph. It tells

the reader what the paragraph will be about. A good topic sentence does two things: 1. It names a subject 2.) It give the focus or main point

Ex: Subject: Egypt Main Focus: ReligionEx: Subject: Egyptian Religion Main Focus: Gods

• Supporting Details: Sentences that are connected to the main idea. They include information or details the reader needs in order to understand the topic. Sentences should be ordered in the best possible order. 3 main ways to do this is either by time, location or importance.

• Closing: Sums up the paragraph’s message. It reminds the readers of the topic.

The ancient Egyptians believed in many different gods and goddesses and each one had their own role to play in maintaining peace and harmony across the land. Some gods and goddesses took part in creation. Other gods and goddesses brought the flood every year. Some offered protection, and some took care of people after they died. Egyptians had local gods who represented towns, and minor gods who represented plants or animals. The ancient Egyptians believed that it was important to recognize and worship these gods and goddesses so that life continued smoothly.

Topic Sentence

Closing Statement

DETAILS

Think of a good topic sentence for this set of details.

• Penguin Moms lay the eggs and afterwards leave to get food for 2months.

• Penguin dads incubate the egg until it hatches. • They take turns caring for their chick and feeding in the sea. • Once the egg hatches, The young stay sheltered in the pouch

of the mother while the father brings food.

Student Examples of Topic Sentences

• Mother and father penguins both take care of their young.

• Mother and father penguins play a very important role in raising their young.

• Penguin mom and dads are very good parents.• Penguin parents are very protective of their

young and I will show you how.

Paragraph Details

• Topic Sentence:Arizona has been thinking about extending the school year from May to June, but I think that they should not extend the school year.

What are some details you would expect to see in this paragraph.

Examples

• Some details in this paragraph might be about…

– Why Arizona is extending the school year– When they plan to extend the school year– Reasons why it is a bad idea

Egypt is most famous for their pyramids. There are over 100 pyramids in Egypt but that information is unknown to many people. The most popular and well known pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza. They are located in Cairo. Pyramids were tombs for pharaohs. To complete the pyramids, workers hauled and lifted millions of limestone blocks that weighed an average of 2 and 1/2 tons each. They didn’t have iron tools or wheeled vehicles. The workers carried each stone by hand, pulled them on sleds, and lifted them up mud ramps to be placed on the slowly rising structure.

Think of a Closing Statement for this paragraph

Examples of Closing Statements

• Now we are glad that the Egyptians worked so hard so that we can admire the beauty.

• The pyramids have been standing in Egypt for a long time, and they still stand for people to see.

• You can see why the Egyptian would be proud of all this hard work.

• We hope that someday scientist will be bale to figure out how Egyptians built these ancient structures.

Transitions• Help your paragraphs flow together. They

link ideas so that they relate to one another

in the same way

similarly

likewise

while

on the other hand

although

however

as a result

therefore

finally

in conclusion

in summary

lastly

in addition

Summary

• What is a Paragraph?• Paragraph structure• How to write a well organized paragraph?• Examples

References

• www.cape.k12.mo.us• teacherweb.com/KY/

NorthMiddleSchool/.../Writing-Paragraphs.ppt

• www.slideshare.net/biruterichardson/writing-paragraphs-1ppt

• http://bonny-kate-es.knox.k12tn.net/cavewebpage/prgrph.html